Liesel Update - May 7

Our lovely little Liesel had quite a day yesterday and sure slept good last night! Liesel took a trip to Cherry Hill, NJ, to visit Dr. Russell Howe-Smith at Pet PT to be evaluated for physical therapy. It seems our young puppy found her bark yesterday, and was talking up a storm the whole way there, and then greeted everyone she met at Pet PT with a happy little "woof".

Dr. Howe-Smith reviewed the findings of all of the diagnostic testing that we have had done for Liesel, then he got down on the floor and examined her himself. She was such an angel for her exam though she was painful in a few areas, especially in her hind leg that was previously broken, she stayed in good spirits and got through the exam just fine. Of course it helps that Dr. Howe-Smith is so compassionate with his patients, and eases their fears the whole time that the he is working with them. Liesel was sitting on his lap and giving him kisses by the end of her exam.

Liesel then suited up and got in the pool for her first round of physical therapy. If you followed her story so far, you will remember that Liesel cannot walk properly at all. While we have seen so much improvement over the last week, she still has such a long way to go. After suffering a severe break at some point in her puppyhood, we can surmise that she was kept in a tiny cage in her former home, and unable to move after the break. She never learned to walk, nor was she ever given the nourishment that she needed to grow and get well. Liesel is on a very good diet now and additional supplements to build muscle mass. Sadly, nothing was done for Liesel for the first four months of her life and we fear that she suffered abuse as well, but that is all in the past, and we are doing everything in our power to give her a healthy, happy future now. Of course this comes at a cost, and we are again relying on our Res-Q Fund to help this young pup. If you can contribute toward the medical care of Liesel, please make a donation to our Res-Q Fund.

Liesel did very well for her first time in the pool with Dr. Howe-Smith. While she was a bit nervous, she learned that she was safe and in good hands, and relaxed quickly and began swimming away. Liesel showed the same issue of circling to the left in the pool that she does on land, and will have to work on that. She began kicking with all four legs and began moving much more normally after a few minutes. Liesel is going to be a project, but we are all confidant that she will work hard to get herself straight and upright again. She has several months of physical therapy and medical treatment ahead of her and we can't wait for the day that she will run and play, just like any other puppy.

Liesel is not available for adoption at this time but thank you all so much for your support of our sweet little girl. Please stay tuned for more from the lovely Liesel.